Garden designer offers garden makeover advice for hospice donation

Maria Stripling with her dog Midge

Garden designer Maria Stripling is ready to help out in return for a donation to St Ann’s Hospice.

Maria, from Didsbury, knows the back gardens of most local homes as well as the front, having organised the hugely-popular Didsbury Open Gardens for the last 11 years.

She said: “A nice garden can enhance lives mentally and physically and provide an extension to a home.

“I’m offering to take a look at someone’s garden and provide ideas, with a design sketch, for a £100 donation.

“I’ve designed a few gardens, including my own, and would love to give home owners ideas and inspiration. Autumn  is also the perfect time to plan a new-look garden next summer.”

Maria aims to raise £16,000 for St Ann’s, with an Arctic trek in March as part of her fundraising plans.

She has also secured a generous donation from a friend who  has commissioned her to design a Japanese Zen garden to remember a holiday with her late husband.

Maria added: “Close friends I’ve lost wouldn’t have had quality time with family and a good death without the support of a hospice and the wonderful teams who work there.”

Didsbury Open Gardens has raised almost £90,000 for St Ann’s.

For a garden consultation email maria.stripling@zen.co.uk and to donate visit Just Giving.